Media Release

Feb. 9, 2011

Media Contact:
Rosann Doran
Public Information Officer
303.438.6308

Broomfield adds information to refute news broadcast

On February 8, 2011, 9News broadcast a story alleging that a laptop computer was missing that was not listed in the internal audit of missing property from the property and evidence room of the Broomfield Police Department. The owner of the computer, Marilyn Reinholdt, was filmed as part of this story, and purported that her laptop computer was taken as evidence, never returned and not listed on the preliminary internal audit report.

This news report was incorrect. The laptop computer was never a piece of evidence collected by the Broomfield Police Department, nor was it ever in the property and evidence room.

The facts in the civil case are: in April 2009, the Civil Unit of the Broomfield Police Department was ordered by the Elbert County Court to perform a Writ of Execution; the writ directed the Broomfield Police to seize personal property at Marilyn Reinholdt's residence in order to satisfy a judgment against members of the Reinholdt family to recover losses incurred by numerous plaintiffs.

The judgments were against John Reinholdt, Jr., in the amount of $4,635,154, Marilyn Reinholdt in the amount of $597,127 and Raina Reinholdt in the amount of $597,127.

Pursuant to the order, Police executed the writ in conjunction with the creditors' attorneys and a moving crew hired by the judgment creditors.

Among the hundreds of items seized according to proper procedures was a large amount of personal property: vehicles including a Rolls Royce and a Jaguar, 63 silver bars, $281,000 in cash, platinum bars, 790 silver dollars, gold Krugerrands and some computers.

Also according to proper procedure, an inventory was completed, and once completed, the attorney who served the writ hired a private moving company to move most of the items, including multiple computers, to a private storage facility.

The only items taken into custody by the Civil Unit of the Broomfield Police Department during this civil seizure were high value items - the cash, coins, jewelry, precious metals and firearms. These items were stored in a secure location used by the Civil Unit at Police Department headquarters, not in the property and evidence room. It is important to note that the laptop computer alleged to be missing during the news story was never in the custody of the Broomfield Police Department nor was it evidence.

In October 2009, as the civil case progressed, the Elbert County Court ordered certain personal items to be returned to the Reinholdt family, which included a ThinkPad computer. Members of the Civil Unit responded to the private storage facility to obtain the items ordered returned and completed the return. The laptop computer, which was in the custody of the storage and moving company, was not located.

In November 2009, the City and County Attorney's Office filed a claim against the moving and storage company for the lost laptop computer. The moving and storage company denied responsibility for the lost computer and the city determined not to pursue civil litigation against the moving and storage company. Even though the city was not legally responsible for the storage and moving company's inability to locate the ThinkPad computer, the city offered Mrs. Reinholdt $500 for the computer. Mrs. Reinholdt agreed to the $500 settlement, and a check was issued in January of 2010. To this date, Marilyn Reinholdt has not picked up the check or signed the attendant release for the funds.

None of this information was included in the 9News report and no effort was made to verify with Broomfield or court officials the allegations put forth by Mrs. Reinholdt.

Police Chief Tom Deland reiterated that the Broomfield Police Department is actively working to address discrepancies in an item audit of the property and evidence room that was completed in September. However, he said, the additional allegation of missing property and evidence reported by 9News on Tuesday night is not factually correct.

City and County Manager George Di Ciero notes that the 9News story was a result of an internally initiated item audit of the property and evidence room as a precursor to initiating a new property and evidence bar-coding system. The audit was conducted to locate, track and dispose of inventory as appropriate. Preliminary results of the audit showed that 255 items of 31,700 were identified as "unable to be accounted for." Ongoing efforts to locate and account for these items to date show that all but 98 have been accounted for.

Long before news reports surfaced, the command staff of the Police Department took vigorous steps to remediate issues discovered in the audit, including new procedures to assist with accurate accounting of all items of property and evidence, implement the new bar-coding system, and address personnel performance issues as appropriate. Di Ciero said the goal is 100 percent accuracy.

Di Ciero told the Broomfield City Council Tuesday night that "This level of self assessment and the desire to improve performance is what the City Manager's Office expects of its departments, and is the reason the Police Chief initiated the item audit." He reported that a process audit by the city's new internal auditor is under way.

"The Police Department will continue to put processes into place that will bring our property and evidence procedures up to the high standards of the department and of the City and County of Broomfield," Chief Deland affirmed.